Wendy’s gave more details on plans to close hundreds of restaurants in the U.S. in an effort to focus on value and boost low sales, FOX Business reports.
The fast food giant previously reported sales declining 11.3% domestically during the final 2025 fiscal quarter between October and December and confirmed plans to close locations in November with CEO Ken Cook giving more details during a conference call with investors on Friday (February 13). Cook said 28 locations were already shuttered during the fourth fiscal quarter and expects to close 5% to 6% of its 5,959 U.S. restaurants, which is equal to about 298 to 358 locations in the first half of 2026.
The plans are part of Wendy’s ‘Project Fresh’ initiative announced in October, which it claimed was “designed to revitalize the brand, reignite growth, [and] accelerate profitability.”
“Learning from 2025 around value, we swung the pendulum too far towards limited-time price promotions instead of everyday value,” Cook said during the call via FOX Business.
Cook previously claimed that Wendy’s would make improvements to some of the struggling stores, which may vary between the addition of new technology and equipment, a transfer of ownership or shutting down the stores entirely. Numerous fast food chains have struggled to attract lower-income consumers as inflation rates have increased, with Cook having predicted continued struggles for the remainder of the fiscal year at the time.
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